Strong start to e-commerce in January (UK data). IMRG reported 70% year-over-year growth over the last four weeks in the UK, coinciding with a strong finish to the year in late December. Electronics and Home/Garden were the fastest-growing categories.
· Amazon advertising a clear winner in Q4 according to Kenshoo. Yesterday, digital marketing agency Kenshoo reported a "breakout quarter" for e-commerce ad spending, with channel spend from agency clients growing 78% year-over-year (see full recap LINK).
· Largest VC e-commerce deals of the last 30 days: 1) MaderiaMaderia ($190M); 2) Function of Beauty ($150M); 3) Getir ($128M); 4) Baibu ($110M); 5) Bloom & Wild ($102M). Source: Pitchbook.
· Companies rolling up Amazon-based brands have now raised a combined over $1B since 2018. The biggest include Thrasio (~$400M); HeyDay ($175M); and Perch ($134M). Source: DigitalCommerce 360
· Top 5 keywords from this week's Google Trends Momentum Tracker (link): 1) WhatsApp (+26%); 2) Yelp (+11%); 3) GrubHub (+10%); 4) Fanatics (+10%); 5) Vacation Rentals (+9%).
· Netflix boasted 14 of the top 15 most streamed shows in the US in 2020 with The Office as the number one show having been streamed for 952 million hours. Only The Mandalorian from Disney+ managed to break into the top 15. Source: Nielsen
· Tweet of the Week (@theteamatx): "We’re sad to share that Loon’s journey is coming to an end. Despite the team’s groundbreaking technical achievements, the road to commercial viability has proven much longer and riskier than hoped."
· Most watched games on Twitch this week: 1) Just Chatting; 2) Rust; 3) League of Legends; 4) Fortnite; 5) Call of Duty: Warzone. Source: SullyGnome
· News apps saw a 170% increase in downloads this week around the presidential inauguration. Source: SensorTower
· Top downloaded shopping apps this week: 1) Amazon; 2) Walmart; 3) SHEIN; 4) Shop; 5) OfferUp. Source: AppAnnie
· Top downloaded apps this week: 1) Signal; 2) Telegram; 3) TikTok; 4) YouTUbe; 5) Zoom. Source: AppAnnie
· Our companies with the highest short interest: 1) GME (102%); 2) W (13%); 3) ZNGA (11%); 4) YELP (11%); 5) CVNA (10%).